6 December 2013: Our CEO, Bob Marshall, while in Rio de Janeiro, experienced first- hand how quickly weather can change in Brazil when a heavy precipitation event caused significant flooding in the city. See the story here on our Know Before Blog post.

5 December 2013: A new total lightning detection network, capable of detecting in-cloud (IC) and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning is helping Brazilian Meteorological Services to better track and forecast severe weather across southeastern Brazil. For more information on BrazilDAT click here.

Today, a strong frontal system was pushing north through Rio Grande Do Sul and into Santa Catarina and Parana and generating a strong line of thunderstorms that had been producing storms with very frequent lightning, heavy downpours and strong winds according to BrasilDAT (Sistema Brasileiro de Detecção de Descargas Atmosféricas), the Brazilian Lightning Detection Network.

Image shows total lightning for the last minute combined with automated cell tracks and Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts (DTAs).

The entirely automated network tracks individual lightning cells and the rates of lightning each minute. High rates of lightning are highly correlated to severe weather. When lightning rates exceed a certain threshold, automated Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts are issued based on the speed and direction of the cell being tracked by BrasilDAT.

Rapidly developing thunderstorms are tracked each minute. Automated DTAs are issued based on the rates and the speed and direction of the cells.

The system being tracked generated a number of Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts (DTAs) across Rio Grande Do Sul overnight and this afternoon they continued into Santa Catarina.

Automated DTAs are issued based on the rates and the speed and direction of the cells. Updates are done every 15 minutes to account for changes in the cells direction and speed.

Simulated Radar is generated by the BrasilDAT system. Intensity of storms is correlated to total lightning rates.

Numerous Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts were issued in the northeastern part of the state as the storms tracked toward Joinville. Rainfall totals for the storms ranged from 1-2″ as they passed through. Most of the rain falling in about an hour.

Automated DTAs are issued based on the rates and the speed and direction of the cells. Updates are done every 15 minutes to account for changes in the cells direction and speed.

PulseRad storm intensities (simulated DBZ) is correlated to rain rates so rain totals can be estimated. The strongest of the storms produced rainfall of 1-2″ as the line of storms passed.